Preservation Montana: The Montana Historic Preservation Plan, 2018-2022

Baumler, Mark

From public summary: "Historic preservation is about keeping our important heritage places. Preservation benefits Montana – culturally, educationally, functionally, and economically. State Preservation Plans, prepared for Montana by the State Historic Preservation Office, serve as a guide for state and local preservation efforts by everyone. This Plan PRESERVATION MONTANA: The Montana Historic Preservation Plan 2018-2022, is a continuation and update of previous state plans. It was developed from feedback, study reviews, and input from interested parties and stakeholders, including the public, history buffs, historic preservation professionals, government officials, tribal representatives, state and local preservation organizations, avocationalists, and educational specialists. Montana has a rich and varied set of heritage properties that represent different themes in Montana history. Over 59,000 historic and precontact sites, buildings, structures, and districts have been identified and recorded in the state, and 1,170 of these have been listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Many more places are known or expected to exist as only about 6.0% of Montana has been inventoried for heritage properties to date. The landscape of historic preservation in Montana is also made of various federal, state, tribal and local preservation organizations. While there has been considerable success in preserving Montana’s important heritage places, a significant number of Montana's heritage properties are at risk due to such factors as commercial and resource development, urban sprawl, neglect, mismanagement, changing population needs, lack of understanding, and limited financial resources for preservation. Old and new issues and challenges face Montana preservation over the next five years. These reflect national, state and local trends and perspectives. Feedback from 500 responses to a preservation questionnaire and a series of Montana preservation stakeholder interviews suggest common themes: lack of public understanding and awareness; limited survey and recording; need to assess property significance and integrity; need for base funding, legal protections and political support; importance of working together; and necessity to work outside the immediate preservation community. Highlight issues in Montana include finding ways to address the availability of necessary financial resources, dealing with our state’s demographics, and influencing opinions about historic vs. new." Funding was provided in part by a 2018 Historic Preservation Fund grant administered by the Montana State Historic Preservation Office (project number MT-18-002, grant number P18AF00006) and the State, Tribal, Local, Plans & Grants Division, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

Preservation Montana: The Montana Historic Preservation Plan, 2018-2022

See also

Collections